


Four times Carmen almost comes back, and the one time she does

by Kuri333



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Memory Loss, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:34:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuri333/pseuds/Kuri333
Summary: WARNING: SEASON 4 SPOILERS!.....Set during the last two chapters of season 4.Carmen grew up with the Faculty. They had played important roles in her life as a child, and then as a thief.But something was feeling amiss now.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 85





	Four times Carmen almost comes back, and the one time she does

From all members of the faculty, Carmen never thought much of Gunnar Maelstrom growing up. Unlike the others, he never showed a soft spot for her. He never gave her piggyback rides, and except one or two passing mentions to Nordic gods, she couldn’t remember him telling her a story.

That one time she had summoned up all her courage and requested an audience with the faculty, because she wanted to join the academy, he had shown an initial excepticism. But then he had vouched for her. He had said she needed proper training and, for a moment, Carmen, or Black Sheep, as she was known back then, had thought he would be somebody interesting to talk to.

But during her year at the academy, he went back to his cold, detached self. Carmen never got praise from him, but she never expected it either.

That’s why it sounded strange to her ears, when he said she had been the most accomplished student Vile Academy had had. Maybe she had been, maybe, she had not, but that kind of praise was not something to expect from Maelstrom. 

She stared at the pale face, as he went on about her accomplishments… some of which she still struggled to remember. But it was not that that felt amiss. No. It was the slight curve in her former instructor’s lips, that strange glow in his eyes.

But then he stopped talking, and they proceeded to discuss the next stages of the recovery programme they had designed for her to recover her memory. And Carmen focused on it, and on insisting she wanted to go on a next heist, and she forgot all about Maelstrom’s strange smile.

\---

Dr. Bellum’s lab had always fascinated her. One of her earliest memories in her life was her, sitting on a large crate, surrounded by nuts and bolts Bellum had given her to play. Later on, sometimes she would explain little Black Sheep about her new ideas for devices and communication methods, and that little girl learned to trust her.

“That line you use, it could be improved,” Bellum was saying, while both women contemplated the device on one of the well-lit tables in the scientist’s laboratory. 

“It’s light and does he work,” Carmen said, with a defensiveness she couldn’t explain.

“Yeah, I know,” Bellum said, but her mind seemed to be somewhere else.

“I needed to climb fast,” Carmen explained, and the image of a boat, and a chase, came blurred into her mind. Why did she have the impression she had been chasing somebody she shouldn’t have?

_Something that retracts would be more practical_ , she remembered hearing in the background. Who had said it? Why didn’t that voice in her head sound like Bellum’s at all?

“Well, it doesn’t make sense to tinker with stuff that works well,” the older woman said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Carmen said, but as she exited the lab she felt as if she had just woken up from a dream she couldn’t remember.

\---

“... is a very valuable piece,” Countess Cleo was explaining, as they circled around a necklace. It was a delicate work of gold filaments and precious stones, but suddenly Carmen’s attention snapped to something completely different.

“What about this?”

It was a simple clay tablet, with some indents on it.

“Oh that,” she said with a disinterested passing glance. “A very ancient cuneiform tablet, studies suggest it describes the specifics for the building of something… it’s not really valuable, but came with a set of stolen goods from an exhibit on Sumeria.”

“What studies?” Carmen asked, and it was clear Cleo would rather go back to revise the jewellery.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said waving her hand dismissively, and as she continued talking about a tiara, Carmen remembered an explanation. A soft voice in a clipped British accent.

_… cuneiform was adapted to write a number of languages linguistically unrelated to Sumerian. Akkadian texts are attested from the 24th century BC…*_

Where had she heard that explanation, and more importantly, who had said it?

When Cleo dismissed her, she walked back to VILE’s library. Since they moved from the island, the many volumes had not yet been properly classified, and it took her some time to find a book on ancient Sumeria. Oxford University Press… it was a very well-known editorial. Why did she feel it had to mean something?

With a shake of her head, Carmen put the book down and headed to the gym. 

Maybe it was because of spending so much time trying to plan heists that she was starting to look for meanings and hidden things in everything.

\---

The thunderstorm around her seemed to be an echo of her thoughts. Thoughts of sadness and longing, but also of crimson red rage and revenge. 

“We only learned of Shadowsan’s deed after he betrayed us, honest,” Couch Brunt’s voice reached her over the sound of the waves crashing at her feet. “He must have felt some sort of grudge against your daddy.”**

Yeah, Carmen thought. Not necessarily a grudge, but an especial interest for an empty seat at the faculty table. A seat that Shadowsan himself would later occupy. The seat Carmen was occupying now.

“A grudge he kept on holding against you,” Couch continued, and it stung, but it also explained so many things. Shadowsan had been the one opposing her starting to train. He had cheated in order to fail her and ruin her otherwise perfect scores. He had been the one who had, eventually, betrayed all of them.

“And my mother?” Carmen asked, flatly. Was she expecting a deep revelation from Brunt? Not really. Maybe it was just an urge for full disclosure.

“Your daddy kept that private.” There was regret in her voice. Almost as if she would’ve wanted to meet Carmen’s mother and grab a beer together or something. “We never knew her name.”

“None of that matters,” Carmen finally said, wishing she could believe her own words. “VILE is my family.” The only one she knew, at least. 

“Always and forever,” she said. “Now, come give Mama Bear a hug.”

Slowly, Carmen walked up the pier and felt Brunt’s strong arms circle her. Her hand tapped her back, just as she had done so many times. She had been the one to patch Carmen’s first scratch on her knee. She had been the one to read her bedtime stories. She had hugged her, while telling her to toughen up and learn to defend herself…

She had crushed her ribs. Made her bones crack. The air was short- Carmen couldn’t breathe- Couch Brunt was squeezing harder, and harder- She was going to die.

“What is it?”

Carmen had pushed Couch and had given a step back, gasping for air.

“Sorry… I just…” Carmen couldn’t explain it. Couch Brunt had been gentle. Tender even. Then, why had she suddenly felt suffocated? Trapped?

“I know this is a lot of information,” Brunt said, softly.

“I’m ok,” Carmen said, taking a deep, calming breath. I’ll be ok.

Tentatively, Couch brunt put an arm around her back and this time Carmen didn’t feel anything other than concern and maybe even love from the woman she had learned to consider a mother figure.

Together, they walked up the slippery stairs and into the warmth of the castle.

\---

“There is one valuable lesson I learned for you,” Carmen forced her voice to sound calm and cold, even though her head felt as if it was about to split in two. “One you didn’t intend to teach.”**

From his crouching position, Shadowsan looked at her. A tired old man about to lose a fight against the student he failed.

“Only losers wear empty coats,” Carmen said with a small smile. Revenge, at last. The precious possibility of looking into his eyes while he knew she would win. She had outsmarted him, and Shadowsan would be washed in the realisation that, from the two of them, she was the best.

Slowly, enjoying it, she took out Crackle’s weapon. It was already set to its maximum power. So little effort, really.

“I would agree,” Shadowsan said, and she could’ve missed it entirely, but his eyes looked differently at her. There was no hatred, no the expected resentment.

Without blinking he took something small form the insides of his own coat, and something must have felt different, because Carmen knew better as to let an enemy produce something that could become a potential weapon, but he had her mesmerised for a long second, until he opened his hand-

It was the smallest of the matryoshka dolls, tiny and innocent over his black glove.

And that’s when finally, it all hit her.

Tired, feeling as if her soul wore heavy on her, she stumbled. Shadowsan's arms were ready, though. To catch her, and to welcome her back home.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea popped up, while trying to cope with the ending of Carmen Sandiego (I'm having ALL the feels).  
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> * from Wikipedia  
> ** Season 4, episode 8


End file.
